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Expected search length: A single measure of retrieval effectiveness based on the weak ordering action of retrieval systems

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  • William S. Cooper

Abstract

A measure of document retrieval system performance called the “expected search length reduction factor” is defined and compared with indicators, such as precision and recall, that have been suggested by other workers. The new measure is based on calculations of the expected number of irrelevant documents in the collection which would have to be searched through before the desired number of relevant documents could be found. Its advantages are: (1) it provides a single index for the property it attempts to measure; (2) it allows for gradations of retrieval status, through the mathematical concept of a “weak ordering”; (3) it evaluates retrieval performance relative to random searching; and (4) it takes into account the amount of relevant material desired by the requester.

Suggested Citation

  • William S. Cooper, 1968. "Expected search length: A single measure of retrieval effectiveness based on the weak ordering action of retrieval systems," American Documentation, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(1), pages 30-41, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:amedoc:v:19:y:1968:i:1:p:30-41
    DOI: 10.1002/asi.5090190108
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    Cited by:

    1. Azzah Al‐Maskari & Mark Sanderson, 2010. "A review of factors influencing user satisfaction in information retrieval," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 61(5), pages 859-868, May.

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